I am by no one's definition a granola earthy kind of person. Well, maybe if it's covered in chocolate but I digress. I recycle, I try not to waste food (If Rob eating the left overs counts), and I get most of my bills on-line and have opted out of those credit card offers (https://www.optoutprescreen.com) so my mailbox is not filled with needless paper.
But just like many of you, I'm interested in saving money. One of the things I have been doing lately is unplugging things around the house when they are not in use. And not only to drive the kids bonkers. When an appliance is not being used, it's still draining electricity when it's plugged in. According to the U.S Department of Energy about 75% of the energy used by our home appliances is drawn while we think they are off.
So all of you that know me well know that I'm not unplugging my Tivo (gasp!) or other things that will mess up the programming of the unit. Like the coffee pot, the alarm clock, things like that. But a light that we hardly ever use and the cell phone charger I use to keep plugged in on the counter? You betcha.
For my office I have everything plugged into a power strip and turn off the power strip when not in use. This is what was driving the kids crazy. Finally they have figured this out and no longer yell to me that the computer is not working.
There's a website that will give you typical wattages of various appliances. Check it out here:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/appliances/index.cfm/mytopic=10040
Next month I will post my usage and we'll see what a difference it's making. Have a great day!
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